ARCS: Achievement Rewards for College Scientists

ARCS Scholar Awards recognize outstanding students who have a record of past achievement and who show exceptional promise of making a significant contribution to the scientific and technological strength of the nation. Each year, the Northern California Chapter of the ARCS Foundation allocates an award to Stanford, which VPGE then uses to support as many PhD students as possible through a combination of ARCS and university funds. The fellowships to ARCS Scholars are in one of two configurations, depending on whether students are at terminal graduate registration (TGR) status:

1. Those with TGR status: Three quarters of stipend at the VPGE level of $13,700 per quarter for 2024-25 plus TGR tuition; or
2. Those who are pre-TGR: Two quarters of stipend at the VPGE level of $13,700 per quarter for 2024-25, plus 8-10 units of tuition.

To be eligible for an ARCS award, the candidates must:

• Be citizens of the United States, without regard to race, gender, or religion
• Be enrolled full-time at Stanford in the natural sciences, mathematics, or engineering for the duration of the award (see list of eligible degree programs below)
• Have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher
• Have a proven need for financial assistance to complete the educational program in progress
• Be in the first five years of the doctoral program when nominated

School deans select the candidates within their first five years of the doctoral program from eligible degree programs: aeronautics & astronautics, applied physics, biology, bioengineering, biophysics, chemical engineering, chemistry, civil and environmental engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, energy resources engineering, earth system science, geological sciences, geophysics, management science and engineering, materials science and engineering, mathematics, mechanical engineering, physics, and statistics.